DSU Theatre Facilities

The Control Booth                                      Dorothy Stickney Auditorium during a rare quiet moment.

Dorothy Stickney Auditorium
Seating 735, Dorothy Stickney Auditorium is our primary performance venue. The proscenium is 40' wide and 16' high. The stage depth is 30' from apron edge to cyclorama, 17' from curtain line to cyclorama. AYamaha sound system is controlled from the booth at the rear of the house. There are 150 light circuits throughout the auditorium (60 front of house, 40 on a first electric, 40 on a second electric and 10 in pockets). These patch to 44 2K dimmers and 2 6K dimmers and are controlled by a Colortran computer light board in the booth at the rear of the house. Grid is 25' above the stage. The electrics and a Wanger Cloud are on motor driven winches. All else is deadhung. There are no traps.

Dorothy Stickney, an accomplished actress and Dickinson native, flourished on Broadway from the early thirties until the mid seventies. She originated roles in such plays as "The Front Page" and "On Borrowed Time." And, of course, Dorothy was the first to play Vinnie Day in "Life with Father," the longest running straight play in Broadway history. Written by her husband , Howard Lindsay, and his collaborator, Russel Crouse, the role won Dorothy the N.Y. Drama League award. Later, Dorothy appeared in "Life with Mother," a well received sequel to the earlier play. She also enjoyed successes on stage with Mary Martin and Charles Boyer in "Kind Sir" and opposite Marlon Brando in "A Sreetcar Named Desire." In 1963, Miss Stickney received North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award for Outstanding Achievement by a North Dakota native. Her last Broadway performance was as Berthe in "Pippin." She contributed significantly to the initial remodeling of the gymansium space that became the auditorium. She also left a sizable scholarship endowment to DSU Theatre.

The Backstage Theatre in construction for the next production.                   The Backstage Theatre as set up for "The Tempest"

The Backstage Theatre
Seating anywhere from 50 to 100, depending on the specific arrangement, the Backstage Theatre can be setup as a theatre in the round, a thrust stage or a mini proscenium. The playing space is usually about 250 sq. ft. The ceiling height is 12 ft. A portable Peavey sound system and a 12 dimmer Genesis light board are used. The ceiling is crisscrossed with pipes for light instruments, but at this point we still need to cable to each light.

The Sosondowah Amphitheatre as set up for "Love Rides the Rails."        The Sosondowah Amphitheatre from the back of the audience section.

The Sosondowah Amphitheatre
Built in 1963, the Sosondowah (a Native American word meaning "Great Nights") Amphitheatre has hosted many productions on summer evenings. The stage is 35 ft. by 25 ft. Up to 500 people can sit in the terraced audience section.

The Studio Loft
The studio loft serves for acting, dance, directing and creative dramatics classes. It also is a handy rehearsal space, since its dimensions are roughly the same as those of Dorothy Stickney Auditorium's stage.

The Scene Shop and Electrical Room
The shop holds a table saw, bandsaw, radial arm saw, drill press, air compressor, and a variety of smaller power tools and hand tools. Paint storage is also in the shop. However, paint mixing and cleanup are done at the shop sink in the backstage area. There is some backstage storage for platforms and flats. We also have on-site storage for valuable funiture and a warehouse for less frequently used set pieces.

The electrical room has gel storage and cutting areas, instrument repair materials, and storage for extra instuments, cables and sound equipment.

Costume Shop and Makeup Rooms
We store a large number of costumes from various periods in the attic above our stage spaces. This attic is also set up for costume construction with layout tables, a serger and several sewing machines.

We have two makeup rooms and two dressing rooms. A bathroom is adjacent.